An iPad stylus is like a little umbrella in your piña colada. You don’t need one. But it’s a nice extra.

The Nomad Compose is different from every other stylus I’ve tried in that it doesn’t mimic the feel of a pen or a pencil, but rather a paintbrush--it has real bristles, blending natural and synthetic fibers. I tested the Dual Tip Long version, which has a 0.7-inch brush tip on one end, and a much shorter 0.05-inch “glide bevel tip” on the other. The bevel tip is made of the same brush material, but its beveled shape mimics the feel of classic styluses you may be used to. It works for drawing lines as well as tapping buttons in iOS apps.